The 365 Questions:
1) If you could give the world any council, advice or wisdom, what would you say?
2) Thinking forward towards the future; say one, ten, twenty, even fifty to one hundred years and beyond. Where do you predict we will be, or how should we be adjusting for what is to come?
For those of you who have been with me in the 365 journeys you are most likely familiar with the above questions. For those of you new to the blog, know that the they are the base to my approaching strangers every day in inviting their perspectives to be shared with you.
Over nine hundred individuals have I approached since September 9, 2011, when the 365 project began. And of those over nine hundred, somewhere between three and four hundred have engaged in conversation with me. Not all allow me to photograph them, but my findings are universal, even in the rejections (and I have had many), we all have something to say.
It’s been really cool focusing away from the celebrities, mainstream events and targeted venues. My path has been completely organic, stopping to say hello to all that I meet… no matter where… no matter who.
Real people… With real stories…
…Some interviews come easy, while others are an outcome of hours of rejections and long days. Non-the-less, one point is never-ending, “We are in this thing together.”
I’ve made this claim regularly and hope I am not boring you with its repetitive announcement. And for some reason, it seems that today it is appropriate to throw it in introducing you to this evenings uniquely connected couple, Kathleen, teacher of unconditional love classes and her husband Lynn, Studio Medic.
They’re words are both a playful and sublime weave of thoughts and perspectives. Two uniquely individual outlooks that manage to connect on a level that showcases the strength of a committed couple. Over twenty-one years together strong, Kathleen and Lynn hold my attention for a set of notes that are difficult for me to keep up with.
Here is the summary of what they share.
Kathleen:
“There really is no substitute for kindness in mind, in heart and in verbiage. Kindness is love in action, and love cannot function without action.
Love encompasses the ability to not judge others, and the ability to forgive. And one of the most empowering things is to be able to forgive everyone for everything, even yourself.
There will not be any peace without forgiveness.
And if peace is what you seek, you must learn to forgive not only others, but also yourself.
We can learn to have peace by learning to live in the moment.
Looking at the next tens years… I see the world becoming an extraordinarily dire place where morality will continue to decay. But, there is no point in being frightened. We can only focus on the good, and in wishing joy to our fellow-man.
God is in the heavens and he knows what he is doing.
The next one hundred years…? Christ will come and we will enter the Millennium.
I advise us all that thinking we have no life in the past or waiting for better time in the future is a fallacy. There is joy in the present moment. This kind of thinking gives us all a different perspective to what we are doing and where we are going. It is calming and focusing.
Too many people worry about getting older and loose their spontaneity. They become stodgy and old. I don’t buy it.
We create our own reality and have to love ourselves.”
Lynn:
“Everyday I find a different appreciation for The Golden Rule.”
“Never miss a chance to eat, drink or go to the bathroom.”
“’Never go to see a movie that has a trailer that begins with ‘In a World.’”
“Never let your wife’s hand touch a doorknob.”
“If you and your spouse disagree and you find out you are correct…Apologize immediately.”
“Live in the moment and think towards the good of all, rather than looking at the external influences. Things like drugs, sports, money, status, gossip, or any other form of comparison.”
“It’s really in the questions you ask yourself that you create your thoughts.”
“Wouldn’t it be terrible if you reached the end of your life and realized that you only lived 1/10th of it?”
“Be of service… and pay it forward.”
I can say no more… Until tomorrow my friends.
